In the middle of the field, many of the players who were training noticed the man with a camera next to Ota.
"Look over there!"
"Is a reporter here for an interview?"
"I know him, he's a reporter from Baseball Kingdom. I've seen him here many times during training."
"Hey, hey, who do you think he's here to interview?"
"I bet it's Senior Azuma and Kanzaki Ryou!"
...
In the dormitory, Kanzaki Ryou changed into a clean uniform and waited with Azuma Kiyokuni for Takashima Rei's message.
"Senior Azuma, have you ever been interviewed before?" Kanzaki Ryou asked.
Azuma Kiyokuni was holding a small wooden comb, tidying his hair in front of the mirror.
"Of course, who do you think I am!" Azuma said without turning his head, grinning at his reflection.
"Heh, but why do I feel like Senior Azuma seems very nervous?" Kanzaki Ryou laughed, watching Azuma adjust his clothes one moment and his hair the next. He really couldn't sit still.
He never expected that the tall and mighty Azuma Kiyokuni, usually so uninhibited, would have such a side.
Azuma reacted like someone whose tail had been stepped on.
"Ryou! Don't talk nonsense, you brat!"
"Hahahahaha~"
"Stop laughing!"
"Ya~ hahaha!"
A few minutes later, Kanzaki Ryou's phone buzzed with a message from Takashima Rei, telling them to head to the reception room.
The two left the dormitory, invited Yuuki from next door, and together went to the Baseball Club's reception room.
Inside, Ota was talking with Mine Fujio. Hearing footsteps outside, Ota knew that Kanzaki Ryou and the others had arrived.
Stepping out, Ota said to Azuma Kiyokuni, "Azuma, you go in first. We'll do it one by one."
"Okay." Azuma nodded, pushed the door open, and stepped inside.
Seeing this, Kanzaki Ryou asked, "Manager, why not do it all together?"
Ota smiled. "Azuma gets nervous when being interviewed if there are too many people watching."
Pfft—
Kanzaki Ryou couldn't help laughing. It was true—Senior Azuma really had a contrasting charm.
"Stop laughing; it wouldn't be good if Azuma heard you," Ota warned.
Kanzaki Ryou hummed in agreement, then turned to Yuuki Tetsuya. "Then Senior, you'll be second."
Yuuki nodded. This kind of thing didn't concern him much—first or second, it didn't matter.
Inside, the tall Azuma Kiyokuni sat across from Mine Fujio. A camera was set up to his front-left, and Mine held a pen and notebook in his hand.
After a few questions, Mine Fujio discovered that this player, who looked a bit wild on the outside, was surprisingly delicate on the inside. Though nervous, Azuma answered every question smoothly.
"So, Azuma-kun, what are your future plans?" Fujio asked the final question.
Without hesitation, Azuma Kiyokuni answered, "Professional baseball. I will enter pro baseball after graduation."
Mine Fujio nodded—expected from someone attracting professional scouts.
"Thank you for your cooperation, Azuma-kun." He stood and shook Azuma's hand.
Azuma thanked him and left the room.
Next was Yuuki Tetsuya. His interview was similar, though being a second-year, Fujio didn't ask about career plans.
By the time Yuuki left, Fujio's notebook was already filled with two pages. Just interviewing these two had given him plenty of material.
Finally, Kanzaki Ryou pushed the door open and entered.
Fujio immediately stood up with a smile. "Kanzaki-kun, we meet again."
"Hello, Reporter Mine." Kanzaki sat down politely.
After a brief chat, the formal interview began.
"Kanzaki-kun, may I ask…"
Half an hour passed. Fujio began with Ryou's childhood interest in baseball and continued through middle school.
"Since joining Seido, Kanzaki-kun has experienced the Spring Metropolitan Tournament, the Kanto Tournament, and then became Seido's Ace in the summer. What are your thoughts?" Fujio asked.
Kanzaki thought for a moment. "I don't have any special thoughts. If I had to say… it's happiness, along with pressure and responsibility."
"It seems even a genius pitcher like Kanzaki-kun feels pressure in the Ace position," Fujio said.
"Of course. The pitcher is the core of the defense. The Ace carries the expectations of the whole team, so it definitely isn't easy," Kanzaki said.
Fujio smiled, then asked again, "I heard that Kanzaki-kun came to Seido by recommending yourself, and that you even declared you'd become the Ace. Is that true?"
"It's true." Kanzaki scratched his cheek, embarrassed but honest.
"Then, the last question—Kanzaki-kun's goal is professional baseball?"
Kanzaki pursed his lips, thinking. "Going pro has always been a goal since I was a kid, but it's too early now. For the moment, my goal is to enter Koshien with my teammates— and win the championship!"
Satisfied, Fujio closed his notebook. "Then I hope Kanzaki-kun's dream comes true."
"Thank you."
"Now, let's head to the field for some photos."
"Okay."
An hour later, after taking photos of the three, Fujio left Seido with satisfaction.
Kanzaki Ryou collapsed on the grass, exhausted. He never expected taking photos would be more tiring than practice.
The next morning, the overnight rush report from Baseball Kingdom was already in newspapers.
When Kanzaki Ryou entered the cafeteria after morning practice, he saw friends holding copies excitedly.
"Yo, Kanzaki's here!"
"It's the big star!"
"Quick, make way for our celebrity!"
His familiar friends teased him relentlessly. Kanzaki didn't mind. After eating, he picked up a magazine and headed for the teaching building.
That day after school, Kanzaki found more than a dozen love letters in his shoe locker again.
Two days later, the summer preliminary Quarterfinals were about to begin.
Seido's opponent this time was Osaka Kiryuu High School, a private high school. Their coach, Takahiro Matsumoto, was once a professional baseball player. Since he took over, Kiryuu's strength had been rising steadily.
Reaching the Top 8 and earning the right to fight Seido for a place in the Final Four was proof of their growth.